Memory Recollection
by Byakugan Hyuga
Summary: Tenten returns to her city of birth, years later, but with no memory of it. Or of the people in it. There she finds a man that can give her all the answers. But he isn't so willing. How will her past conflict with her present? TN


**Hello everyone, it has been quite awhile since I have been writing. This story just got stuck in my head and it would not go away. As usual, the main couple is Tenten and Neji who once again must conquer problems to have true love. I hope you all enjoy, and don't forget to review...those are always nice. :)**

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**Memory Recollection**  
**Chapter 1: Fateful Encounter**

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_She awoke with emptiness, though it was hard for her to tell what was missing, she still felt very hollow._

_She knew she was in a hospital; her parents had spent much of their time here when she was younger. At least she could still remember that distant past. _

_She must have been injured quite severely because her body still hurt even after she had been sleeping for so long. _

_With some memory returning, she decided to try and recall more. Anything would be helpful, anything that could begin filling in the holes._

"_Tenten..."The name slowly rolled off her tongue._

_It felt unfamiliar...and yet she knew it was her name. There was a true ring in her voice that came naturally._

_But nothing else would come._

_She couldn't remember who she actually was, only her name. She couldn't remember if there would be anyone coming to see if she was alright._

_The only thing she could do was search the room for answers. No one was there to inform her, to explain everything and hopefully bring everything back to her. Because she knew she was missing something._

_The only object of value to her in the room was a picture set on the bedside table. It must have been taken a few years ago from the look of her. She was located in the middle of a large group of people. She wish she could recall someone, anyone._

_But it was all blank._

_She searched hard. She looked down and noticed that she had been unconsciously stroking the face of a man in the photo._

_He stood the closest to her. His mouth was very close to smiling, which she felt was very rare. His eyes were a mesmerizing violet, pulling her focus constantly to him. _

_She wondered if this man could answer all the questions she had._

"_Oh dear, you shouldn't be up and about yet. Rest more. Someone will be coming shortly for you. Relax for now." A nurse said as she entered the room._

_As much as she wished for it to be the man in the photo, it was not he who arrived for her._

* * *

Neji rubbed his face savagely, already exhausted and his day had hardly begun.

He pushed the few strands of his hair that had escaped behind his ear as he put the lids on the two coffee cups he had.

His work had been taking over his life lately, simply because he had been advancing in his career. It was the only thing he thought that could currently change in his life.

The brunette carried the cups to his business partner's individual working room and placed it on the expensive desk. He began organizing the paperwork properly on the shiny surface.

"Office coffee?"

Neji looked up, surprised that he had been started so easily.

He nodded with a sigh. "I'm running behind today."

Sasuke sipped the coffee; his eyes watched his business partner from above the cup.

"I'm fine." He replied gruffly.

That raised an eyebrow from the other. "I think you may be focusing on work too much. The business has been going fine since we merged."

Neji couldn't argue with that. Since the Uchihas and Hyugas corporations had merged, they had been doing splendid. But he continued to find problems to pour all his energy and time into.

"You know what you need."

It wasn't a question, Neji knew that. He also knew that he would have to follow the advice, if you could even call it that.

"A girl."

Neji stumbled backwards, his usual poise gone with the odd suggestion.

"Oh great, girl advice from the Uchiha. I think I can decide that for myself." Neji rolled his eyes, completely astonished by his friend's suggestion for his life. "Besides, you have nothing in that category either."

A smirk appeared on the handsome man's face.

"I actually have been seeing someone lately. Naruto introduced me to her. She moved here only a few weeks ago." The Uchiha's smirk never left his face.

Neji was speechless for a few minutes.

Then he smiled. "I'm happy for you, but do you realize what you just said? Naruto got you two together."

"I know, I know. But in some twisted way, the idiot always seems to make the right things happen."

Neji just shook his head even more surprised by his friend's sudden interest in a relationship. "Then I wish you luck. Lots of it."

* * *

Tenten sneezed as another blob of hair floated up into the air and touched her sensitive nose. The fuzzy creature under her brush did not seem to notice he had disturbed his groomer.

"You never cease to amaze me. I swear more hair falls off every time." The fluffy dog's tail continued to wag and his tongue stuck floppily out.

"Now, now. If he wasn't so hairy, we wouldn't get as much business." Sakura smiled as she entered the room.

She returned the smile. She had only met Sakura a few weeks ago, but they had become fast friends. It was her that had given her a job at the Haruno Pet Shop when she had moved to this city so unprepared.

"I'm sorry, but he should be bald by now."

Sakura laughed at the comment and rolled her eyes. "You always say that."

Tenten grumbled playfully, but continued with the messy job anyway.

But she suddenly stopped when a very loud thud sounded behind her. She turned quickly and was still shocked by the size of the cat the store owned. He was not fat, but he was very muscular and tall. She always thought he should have been a dog. His head was white, while most of the rest of his body was black.

"Apollo, be careful." Sakura tapped her finger in the air, a warning to the cat to watch the items displayed on the counter.

Tenten slowly turned back to her task, nervous that the giant cat was going to be out of her vision. She still wasn't use to the creature Sakura called Apollo; it was no cat she had ever seen.

"How was your date the other night?" Sakura asked lightly, starting a pleasant conversation.

"Who told you?" The brunette's eyes narrowed, wondering who didn't keep their mouth shut.

"Naruto." Sakura said simply, her emerald eyes dancing with excitement.

Tenten hadn't known Sakura long, but she knew the girl was very interested in relationships. Especially when they involved her friends or people she knew.

"Alright." Her friend pouted at the lack of details.

Tenten wasn't much of a talker when it came to her social life. She would probably open up more to the pinkette when she understood the relationship more and became better friends with the girl.

Before her boss continued Tenten spotted a distraction. "There's Lee."

Sakura immediately grumbled. The green spandex boy was waving through their storefront window, displaying the food he had brought for their lunch.

"If he bothers you so much, why do you let him continue to fight for your attention?"

The door flung open before her new friend could reply. "Lunch has arrived!"

Both girls ran forward before the carefully packaged food was flung from its boxes and onto the fur covered floor.

* * *

Neji was on his weekly trip to the downtown supermarket, not realizing it would be an encounter he never saw coming.

He was examining apples, thoroughly judging the fruit as if it had some sort of test to pass before it could be purchased.

Someone must have turned and bumped their basket against his because he quickly was jostled and was apologized to.

The person shuffled away hurriedly, but Neji had already heard his voice. The familiarity was the only part of the apology he had even heard.

"Lee?" Said boy turned sheepishly around, scratching his head awkwardly.

"Uh, oh hi." Neji had never remembered his old friend being so shy of encounters.

"I haven't seen you...for years. Where have you been?"

"I travelled somewhat, training with martial art masters around the globe. Well, the ones who would take me on." The green clad man gave his famous thumbs up, with a shine to his smile.

Neji shielded his eyes from the ridiculous light before replying. "That sounds exciting. Have you been keeping in touch with everyone?"

The bowl cut shook his head to reply as a negative. "I should have, but I was too occupied."

"What about..." Neji stopped himself before he could actually ask the question about the person that was always nagging at his thoughts.

Why should he ask about a woman who had abandoned everything she had supposedly loved? There was no reason; he should not have a reason to anymore.

Though even with so much time she had been gone and the pain he had experienced because of her actions, a piece of his heart still had some ache and his brain still wanted answers.

_Tenten..._

"I need to be off now. Farewell."

Before Neji could even get a way to contact his old friend or learn more of the six years they hadn't seen each other, the one piece wearing man jogged out of the store.

Neji rolled his eyes, remembering how the man could never hold still, and continued on with his shopping.

* * *

Tenten stared, her mouth hung open, and her concentration on the largest building she had ever seen. She checked with the cab driver one more time, he reassured her that this was the proper address.

It was a seventeen story building with red large letters displaying the name "Uchiha Corp." This was the place where her boyfriend worked and apparently owned since his brother had left.

She gulped harshly, not realizing how nervous she actually was. She felt out of place when she entered the fashionably decorated building.

The receptionist barked at her as soon as she entered. "Your business?"

"Uhh, I'm here to see Sasuke...I brought him his lunch." She brought out the brown paper lunch bag as proof.

The snarky woman peered down from her exceptionally tall desk with a look of pure annoyance. But before the jet black hair receptionist could say more, another voice piped up, this one a lot more pleasant.

"I will take her to him."

She must have more authority because there was no complaining, just a sound of displeasure.

"I am so sorry about that, she gets a lot of odd balls coming in looking for Sasuke." This new woman had forest green eyes and rich brown hair flowing freely. She looked out of place here in this professional environment.

"No problem. How did you know I wasn't one of them?"

"I've heard a lot about you." A contagious smile spread across her face as they entered a nearby elevator.

"My name is Tenten."

The woman nodded and extended her hand to be shaken. "My name is Claire. I'm Mr. Uchiha's personal secretary."

Before she could talk to Claire more, they had risen to the 17th floor and were entering a large space with another tall desk.

"He's in the office on the left." Claire went to her desk without another word.

It didn't take the brunette long to get to the office Claire had indicated. Within she saw her boyfriend with a hand through his hair, deep in thought, staring at a laptop screen.

"Special delivery!" The man jumped in shock at the sudden and loud interruption.

"Tenten?" His voice was a little disconnected; he was probably still coming back to reality.

"Hey. I remembered you saying how busy you were and that you miss lunch a lot, so I decided to be your special reminder." She smiled brightly as the ravenette finally made sense of everything.

"Thank you." She brought the bag to him and began taking out the homemade lunch she had made. If he didn't know yet that she was a bad cook, he soon would, unfortunately for him Tenten believed she was a very good cook.

"Will you stay and enjoy it with me?" Sasuke asked in a simple tone.

She smiled and nodded, grabbing a helping for herself.

* * *

Neji's stomach growled prompting him to finish his current assignment and reminding him he still hadn't had lunch. He had been so busy grocery shopping that he had forgotten to pick something up.

Grabbing a folder from his desk he got up to find his partner in business, knowing that he would have to talk to him first before signing it off.

He began the short walk to the ravenette's office, thinking of where he was going to get his lunch. It didn't take him long to get to the other man's door.

"Sasuke, I have the-" He cut himself off short, as a sudden image of Tenten entered his head when seeing the back of a woman in Sasuke's office.

He shook his head, frustrated that he was still so weak inside to have these sudden hopes of seeing her again.

But to his surprise the head of buns turned and ended up being a complete replica of his old sweetheart.

The breath caught in his throat, in shock and in admiration. The young lady he had grown to love years ago had become a full fledged woman. Her features had matured and her eyes were full of experience and hardships. It was still her though, the woman he had only let himself dream about in the frailest of times.

"Neji, this is Tenten, the woman I have been seeing." Sasuke was the only one not frozen with disbelief or confusion.

Neji didn't give any sort of greeting, just handed the folder to his partner, his eyes still trained on the woman from his past.

He waited for her to say something.

"Hello."

Anger was beginning to boil inside him at how calm she was and flamboyant of the painful years she had put him through. He gave her a look of revulsion that even his trained years of business social gatherings and meetings could not hide.

He turned and left the room with an agitated pace, he grabbed his coat from the closet and strode into the elevator.

Confused questions and emotions rolled around in his head as the doors chimed closed. The usually stoic Hyuga was on the verge of screaming with rage.

And yet Tenten's face clung to his memory, pushing itself to the surface over and over again.

He passed everything on the first floor in a blur, his mind too full of its own thoughts and problems to give a care for anything else.

He was in his car when he let everything sink in. She was back in town, for what reason he had no idea. She just happened to be dating his partner and very good friend. Something inside him yanked and the emotions he had locked away stormed out.

Neji Hyuga was a successful businessman that many held in respect even though he was their junior. He was always in control and only let his strengths show; no one ever saw a weakness.

Yet he sat in his car, the engine rumbling, tears escaping from tightly closed eyes.

* * *

Tenten wasn't quite sure what kind of damage she may have caused the man in the past, but she did know he was a key to her memory.

Her hand went to her pocket where she kept her wallet; the picture she had found beside her hospital bed was safely secured there.

The man had changed since the photo but the resemblance was still there. He was the one she had been searching for and now he was so close.

"Ignore him. He's always antisocial." Sasuke must have missed the real encounter because Tenten knew this wasn't just part of the violet eyed man's personality.

He knew her, she had seen the recognition.

But what made her heart drop into her stomach was that she had seen something else.

He loathed her.

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**Thank you for reading. **

**And so they meet. On not very good terms though. But there is always good, right? How will Tenten get information from Neji about her past? Will Neji even be willing to see her again? Find out in the next chapter! Don't forget to review!**

**What do you all think?**

**Byakugan Hyuga**


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